Daniel Craig portrayed James Bond for five 007 movies, starting with Casino royale in 2006 until his last appearance in No time to die in 2021. The films launched Craig’s career into another world of superstars, making him a household name and one of the best Bond performances to date. So after being in the spotlight for 15 years, it’s no surprise that the 54-year-old would like to finish things off with a big bang. However, it turned out that Craig was ready to leave the franchise after the premiere of the first film.
Craig’s attitude to the movies has been talked about for a long time. In 2015, the actor famous said he’d rather slit his wrists then play Bond again, although he would eventually return for a fifth and final film. Now longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has provided an outside perspective on Craig, tellingly: The Empire Movie Podcast he was already thinking about killing his character Casino royale.
“Well, Fleming had flirted with killing Bond a few times. So it’s always kind of been there. But I remember we had a premiere in Berlin after Casino Royale, and after all the uproar over Daniel Craig’s casting , when we opened the movie and it was just an extraordinary success, it was a huge relief as we traveled the world And we had this premiere in Berlin and I remember sitting in the back of the limousine we were all very happy And Daniel said, “How many of these movies do I have to do?” And I was like, “Oh my God.” I wish I’d said ten. But I told him the truth. And he said, “How about getting rid of me? make it?” I said, “Daniel, we just did the first one. Don’t start talking about committing suicide.”
Craig has since changed his stance on James Bond, saying, “I wouldn’t change it for a second.” It’s clear that the actor has fond memories of the character after his mandatory time with the franchise came to an end.
Daniel Craig shared a similar story in 2021
Although Broccoli says Bond wanted to kill the character afterward Casino royaleDaniel Craig had a slightly different interpretation of events. During a Variety interview follows No time to die, the actor shared the same story; however, there was one important distinction. According to Craig, he asked if he could kill Bond in the final installment of the franchise, which the producers agreed on. So of course this is how his tenure as 007 would end in No time to diewith Craig finally getting his wish.
Now Broccoli and the rest of the James Bond team are already looking for the next actor to portray the iconic character. Future interpretation may still be a long way off, however, and Broccoli says the franchise will be heading in a different direction with the following entries. So look for a reinvented James Bond when it inevitably returns to theaters, which shouldn’t be until 2025 or possibly years after.